1. Field of the Invention
This invention comprises a connector for connecting electrical conductors, and in particular, a connector for use in the tractor/trailer industry, so that the conductors are maintained in protected contact.
2. Brief Description of the Field
Many connector designs have been proposed for use in connecting electrical conductors. Many of these connectors are very effective in the applications for which they are designed. Unfortunately, a connector designed for connecting an electrical conductor to a household outlet is not likely to be effective when used as a connector for heavy equipment, such as, over-the-road semi-trailer trucks and the like. Connectors for such applications must be watertight and must be resistant to separation under conditions of vibration and the like. Further, such connectors must be rugged to withstand abrasion and other detrimental contacts during use.
Connectors used in semi-trailers or tractors are frequently used in the electrical harness assemblies of such vehicles. Such connectors are subjected to almost continual vibration and are exposed to water, salt water, abrasive materials and the like. It is vital that such connectors remain in effective electrical connection to ensure safe operation of the vehicles. Connectors of the type disclosed here are often used in so-called “semi-permanent” applications in the trucking industry where it is important that the connection stay securely connected for long periods of time, during often harsh conditions. However, it is also important that they be able to be connected without significant difficulty. It is preferable, then, that an electrical connector assembly require an insertion force which is substantially less than the force required for disengaging the female and male components of the connector.
Another deficiency of prior connectors is their size. Conventional connectors with seven 0.180 inch pins have typically been round and at least 1.25 inches in diameter. There exists a need, however, in the trailer industry for harness connectors having a smaller form factor, and in particular, for a connector with seven 0.180 inch pins that have a height of less than 1.1 inches, preferably less than 1.05 inches. The need for such a product has been well known in the industry for at least 15 months. Despite this need, until the present invention, limitations in conventional injection molding processes and connector designs have made it impractical to reduce the size of the connector body. For example, it was previously considered necessary to design connector bodies so as to provide a substantial buffer zone around the wires leading to the terminals in the connector. One reason for this is that the wires tend to become displaced during the injection molding process. If the wires move too close to the surface of the connector body during the molding process, the manufacturing process frequently leaves the wire exposed through a side wall of the connector, rendering the part defective and useless.
Another deficiency in prior art connectors is that the injection point for injecting the mold tends to leave a substantial protuberance, which must be removed, increasing the cost of manufacture.
And, while many attempts have been made to develop improved connectors for electrical conductors for use in semi-trailers or tractors and many processes have been used to make such connectors, all of the prior connectors used identical materials for both the male and female connector bodies. Typically, a polyvinyl chloride plastic (“PVC”) having a hardness of 60 A to 75 A on the Shore hardness scale was used.
All of the major commercially used connector assemblies for the tractor/trailer industry require a separate clamp, pin or other device to ensure a strong, well-sealed semi-permanent connection. This is a serious drawback for those connector assemblies because the clamps are cumbersome and awkward to use and, frequently, are simply not used by truckers, resulting in a high risk of electrical failure. Thus, notwithstanding the availability of a variety of connectors, a need remains for an electrical conductor connector that can ensure reliable waterproof contact during use, as well as provides a viable semi-permanent connection, even when an external clamp is not used. A need also remains for connectors for harness assemblies having a reduced form factor.